Mikey’s Ultimate Jukebox: Why Lionel Richie Matters To Me
Michael Jackson may have ruled the 80’s R&B scene, but another guy created some masterpieces that made me appreciate him as the best of the decade. He began his music career with the Commodores before launching a very successful solo career. Not only was he a great performer, he also has written and produced many great songs for himself and Kenny Rogers. He co-wrote the 1985 legendary charity anthem, We Are The World. He was involved with some very unique MTV music videos such as Running With The Night and Hello. He has stayed relevant throughout the last decade becoming a sensation in the Arab world. In the USA, the current generation knows him as a judge on American Idol. Ladies and gentlemen…. Lionel Richie. And why he matters to me.
Band Members: N/A
Year Inducted: 2012
Years As A Fan: 34 Years (*1984)
Intro Song: You Are
Top 500 Songs: Truly, My Love, Stuck On You, Endless Love, Say You Say Me
Addl. Key Songs: Hello, All Night Long, Just For You, Forever, Dancing On The Ceiling, Running With The Night
Key Albums: Lionel Richie, Can’t Slow Down, Dancing On The Ceiling, Tuskagee
Personal Music Awards: N/A
Seen Live: 2014 PNC Arts Center
Photo Opp: N/A
I’ve been adamant about the fact that MTV ruled my childhood and introduced me to artists and songs that I still love even to this day. Most of these personal music essays I’ve been writing obviously were influenced my those countless hours watching. Although Michael Jackson was the artist to break the color barrier and become the first African-American to receive major airtime on the network, it was another African-American musician that first inspired me with his beautiful R&B ballads and fun party songs. That man was Lionel Richie. I could look past the color of his skin as that never really mattered anyway to me since my parents raised me to judge people by their hearts and brains first, but it was a lot harder to look past his geri-curl afro which made Lionel stand out even more. Even as I write this, I can flashback to my childhood not only watching his videos on MTV, but hearing his songs on the radio during car trips to the mall or on somebody’s boombox while being with family and friends at the beach in the summer. The melodies on Lionel’s ballads, amazing! Just listen to these everlasting classics like Truly, Hello, Still, Stuck On You, and Say You Say Me. And how about the party jams that also never get old such as All Night Long, You Are, and Dancing On The Ceiling? Many of these songs were staples on the soundtrack of my life, and would feature prominently if the Mikey Hersh movie ever gets made!
Although I would always have my heart melted when a Lionel Richie song came on the radio during the late 80’s and early 90’s, I did not own a Lionel Richie album until purchasing his Greatest Hits album while in college. Even though some classics didn’t even make the track list, a lot of the songs from my childhood that were still radio staples got my excited. And the songs that I hadn’t heard in years like Penny Lover and Truly really brought me back to a more innocent time in my life. Lionel Richie’s career stalled a bit after writing We Are The World and winning an Oscar for the classic song from White Nights, Say You Say Me in 1986. MTV rarely played his videos, and he faded from the limelight. But when the 80’s became a hot topic again, Lionel Richie was featured prominently on countdown shows and 80’s compilations. I had a girlfriend in 2000 who made me a mix tape and wanted Lionel’s classic (Stuck On You) to be our song. I remembered this tune vaguely from the 80’s, but appreciated it even more after listening to that tape over and over. Of course, that relationship went nowhere although it provided me a song that I still rank as one of the top 500 songs ever recorded. Per my love of his music and realizing he even produced two of my favorite tunes ever sung by Kenny Rogers (Through The Years and Lady), it was time to add his albums to my collection. I’m glad I did as I found some more gems like Just For You and Forever on his 00’s albums.
To celebrate a wedding anniversary, my wife and I finally went to see Lionel Richie in concert in 2014 at the PNC Arts Center. Although I don’t buy overpriced T-shirts at the merchandise stands at shows, I saw one that really caught my eye. It featured the Lionel head plague that was featured in his Hello video. I noticed an opportunity that if I sign up for the New York Times, I’d get a free shirt. I figured I’d sign up, get the shirt, and eventually cancel a few weeks later. Of course that wasn’t as easy as it sounded but I got it done. The concert was great as Lionel performed all of his classics, including the hits he recorded with The Commodores like Sail On and Brick House. My only criticism was that the venue has poor acoustics and it would have sounded better in an indoor arena. Yet, to be able to say that I saw Lionel live in concert is a blessing. So glad I could check it off my bucket list.
Lionel Richie’s now banking on his classics that get used frequently in movies, TV commercials, and such. He released a fun album a few years ago, Tuskegee, in which he re-recorded his classics with big-name country music superstars like Kenny Chesney and Shania Twain. Not only was it a success on the charts, it was well-produced and a great album to listen to getting a new take on these hit songs while staying true to the original melodies. Although he might occasionally appear on R&B or easy listening charts, Lionel Richie’s days of #1 Billboard hits and albums are over. But he’s appeared on a slew of reality shows which eventually led to his biggest gig as a current judge on the latest version of American Idol. I’m appreciative of Lionel Richie’s simple yet great melodies and he deserves his rightful place in my personal Pop Music/Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
-Mikey Hersh
